Dixmoor and Cook County officials said Saturday that a boil order was still in effect in the south suburban village that has gone without running water for a week — but they maintained progress was being made.
No one could give a timeframe on when the problem attributed to the water main in Harvey, which supplies water to Dixmoor, would be diagnosed and fixed. That means for the time being, more than 3,000 residents will have to make do with bottled water.
“I can’t tell you how long it’s going to take, but there is light at the end of the tunnel,” said Bill Barnes, executive director at the Cook County Emergency Management and Regional Security, said a news conference. […]
However, there was recent ground gained in upping the system’s water pressure. Roberts said as of Saturday, the village was at 17 pounds of pressure after temporarily rerouting water from Blue Island. That isn’t enough to reach the ideal 35 pounds of pressure, but Roberts said, “the issue at hand is being resolved as I speak.”
While the boil water order remains in effect, residents are now able to take showers and resume some normal use of water as pressure returns to Dixmoor, according to Village President Fitzgerald Roberts.
The Village is back feeding water from Blue Island in their reservoir and there is also some increased water pressure coming from Harvey.
The reservoir is also now filling up and businesses are able to open, but schools will likely still be learning virtually on Monday.
Jeff Maxey said that means figuring out schedules for his six kids that range from five to 14-years-old.
* Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts was on WGN Radio today to talk about the situation. They’re still waiting on the special cameras to locate the problem, he said. He said he hoped that by the end of this week or “sometime next week” the water will be drinkable. But volunteers have donated “plenty of water,” including a truckload on its way from Texas.
Today, State Representative Ann Williams (D-Chicago) introduced House Bill 4192, the “Community Oversight of Vaccination Deception Act,” or the “COViD Act.” This initiative would allow any citizen, employer, business, academic institution, or entertainment venue to bring a civil action against a person who utilizes a fake vaccine document to gain entry or admission into a location or entity which requires proof of vaccination.
Modeled after the law recently passed in Texas that allows any citizen to sue someone who performs or aids an abortion, the COViD Act – in contrast to the Texas law – is actually designed to promote public health and safety by ensuring those who falsely represent their vaccine status can be held accountable.
“The Supreme Court ruling on the Texas law allows citizens to take civil action to enforce the State’s draconian abortion law. Here, we follow that approach, but rather than allowing a citizen to bring a civil action to enforce a law which doesn’t impact them, the COViD Act allows citizens to protect their own health and the health of others by holding those who falsify their vaccine status accountable,” said Williams. “The science shows vaccines have the ability to impact transmission of the virus by preventing infection altogether and by reducing the amount of infectious virus should a vaccinated individual become infected.”
The legislation provides for injunctive relief and allows plaintiffs to recover no less than $10,000 in statutory damages, as well as costs and attorney’s fees.
“Choosing to patronize an event, attend a meeting or gather with people who you believe to be vaccinated is one way a person can choose to mitigate risk,” said Williams. “A person who claims to be vaccinated but is not presents a threat to the health of community members who may be relying on the fact they are associating with or in the physical presence of only vaccinated individuals.”
“Falsifying your vaccination status is simply wrong and those who do it should be held accountable,” she added.
* The Question: Should people who use a fake vax card be subjected to civil suits? Make sure to explain your answer in comments.
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is pleased to welcome the WNBA Champion Chicago Sky basketball team to the House of Representatives on Tuesday October, 26.
Members of the team in attendance will be recognized on the House floor at the commencement of session at noon. Face coverings must be worn and House members will be asked to follow additional protocols to encourage social distancing and avoid crowding. In keeping with current practice to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the House gallery will remain closed to members of the public.
“This Chicago Sky championship win is historic and we are honored to celebrate their achievements here in the State Capitol,” said Speaker Welch. “Of course, I am incredibly proud of this team for their performance on the court, but I am even more inspired by the values they exemplify off the court. These women are the role models our communities deserve and they make our state exceptionally proud.”
* I don’t usually do such things, but this Adidas ad about Candace Parker is just so good…
Nobody knows for sure yet which players will be in attendance tomorrow.
Continuing Illinois’ progress as the vaccination leader of the Midwest, Governor JB Pritzker announced the largest union agreement regarding vaccines for 7,800 state employees who are represented by AFSCME. Nearly 10,000 state workers are now covered under union vaccine agreements.
This agreement will ensure employees in 24/7 congregate facilities within the Illinois Departments of Human Services, and Veterans’ Affairs are protected with the COVID-19 vaccines. Employees under all union vaccine agreements are required to get their first shot by October 26 and second shot by November 30.
“I’m proud to announce our sixth and largest union agreement that will protect nearly 10,000 state workers and the people under their care,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We’ve overcome tremendous challenges during the pandemic, and I want to thank our partners in the labor movement for being a part of the solution. Each person that gets vaccinated is protecting themselves, the people around them and our state as a whole. We will continue to work through the established legal process to ensure all state employees who work with the vulnerable and incarcerated are vaccinated.”
In addition to the announced agreements, the State and AFSCME have reached an impasse at the bargaining table for employees at the Departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice. The next steps for those bargaining units are as follows:
• For roughly 10,300 security employees at the Departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice, the State and the union will submit to interest arbitration.
• For an additional 1,900 non-security employees at those two departments, the State has informed AFSCME that it will implement the following terms: employees must get their first shot by October 26 and their second shot by November 30. This is in accordance with state law.
State employees who remain unvaccinated pose a significant risk to individuals in Illinois’ congregate facilities. Therefore, if employees do not receive the vaccine or an exemption by the dates identified, progressive disciplinary measures will be implemented. The agreement includes a process whereby employees can seek an exemption based on medical contraindications or sincerely held religious beliefs.
Following Gov. Pritzker’s announcement that all state workers who work in state-run congregate facilities would be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the agreements covering 2,090 workers have been made:
• VR-704: 260 supervisory employees at the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Agreement announced on September 20, 2021.
• Illinois Nurses Association: approximately 1,100 nurses working in 24/7 facilities like McFarland Mental Health Facility, Quincy Veterans’ Home and Jacksonville Correctional Center. Agreement announced on October 7, 2021.
• Illinois Federation of Public Employees: approximately 160 employees working in Human Services and Veterans’ Affairs. Agreement announced on October 7, 2021.
• Illinois Trade Unions: approximately 470 employees working in 24/7 facilities such as Menard Corrections Center, Shapiro Developmental Center and Quincy Veteran’s Home. Agreement announced on October 18, 2021.
• Teamsters: approximately 100 maintenance equipment operators and maintenance workers at the Illinois Department of Human Services and Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Agreement announced on October 20, 2021.
• AFSCME: approximately 7,800 employees in 24/7 congregate facilities within the Illinois Departments of Human Services, and Veterans’ Affairs.
To further encourage vaccinations under the agreements with the unions, employees will receive an additional personal day. If the vaccine administration is not available during an employee’s regularly scheduled shift, the employee may be compensated at their regular pay for the time taken to receive the vaccine. In addition, vaccinated employees will receive paid “COVID time,” so that if a vaccinated employee gets COVID-19 they will receive a period of paid time off without using their benefit time.
The administration has taken extensive measures to make the COVID-19 vaccine equitable and accessible. The Pritzker administration established 25 mass vaccination sites. The Illinois National Guard supported more than 800 mobile vaccination clinics on top of an additional 1,705 state-supported mobile sites that focused on communities hardest hit by the pandemic, young residents, and rural communities. The COVID-19 vaccine has been available for healthcare and nursing home workers since December 15, 2020, and open to teachers since January 25, 2021.
Vaccination is the key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic and returning to normal life. All Illinois residents over the age of 12 are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost and proof of immigration status is not required to receive the vaccine. To find a vaccination center near you, visit vaccines.gov.
*** UPDATE *** From Council 31…
AFSCME represents some 39,000 Illinois state employees. Some 20,000 of these work in 24/7 congregate facilities—such as veterans homes, psychiatric hospitals, residential programs for people with developmental disabilities, prisons and juvenile justice centers—that are affected by the state’s vaccine requirements.
While employers have the right to require vaccination, they must negotiate how such requirements are implemented. Since August we have engaged in negotiations over the implementation of those requirements.
Human Services and Veterans Affairs
The parties have now reached an agreement on terms affecting more than 7,000 employees in the departments of Human Services and Veterans Affairs. Employees are required to have their first shot by Tuesday, Oct. 26, or may file for a religious or medical exemption by the same date. Failure to do so will result not in discharge but progressive discipline culminating in either unpaid leave or layoff.
Importantly, the union secured paid time off for employees who contract the virus, must quarantine due to exposure, or have to care for a dependent who is sick or quarantined, as well as an added personal day off for employees who are fully vaccinated.
In addition, a special Labor-Management COVID Safety Committee will be established in each impacted agency to fight the spread of the virus on all fronts.
Corrections and Juvenile Justice—security employees
The parties have been unable to reach agreement on terms for employees in the Departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice. The more than 10,000 employees who work in security positions (such as correctional officers) have the right to submit unresolved issues to a neutral third-party arbitrator. We have filed the necessary paperwork with the state labor board to initiate this process. The vaccine requirement cannot be implemented until interest arbitration is concluded.
Corrections and Juvenile Justice—non-security employees
The parties also have not reached agreement on terms for the more than 2,000 non-security employees (e.g. clerical and other support workers) in prisons and youth centers. These employees do not have the right to interest arbitration. Arguing that the parties are at impasse in negotiations, the administration is planning to impose the terms of the DHS/DVA agreement on these workers. The union does not agree that the parties are at impasse and will bring the matter before the Illinois Labor Relations Board.
AFSCME is continuing our efforts to share authoritative information with union members about the benefits of getting vaccinated. Safe and effective, vaccines are the best way to protect ourselves, our families, our coworkers and communities, to defeat the pandemic and return to normal.
Local school superintendents are asking the Illinois State Board of Education to give them greater control over their affairs in light of state mandates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Superintendents from Teutopolis and Altamont addressed the board prior to Tuesday’s meeting, spotlighting their districts’ efforts to keep classes in session and criticizing the board and state leaders for forcing them to implement measures without their input. […]
The tug-of-war between the state and area school districts is best exemplified through the state’s mask mandate for anyone on school property, initially implemented in August. Many area districts chafed at this idea, with large groups of parents coming into meetings to voice their displeasure with the state’s actions.
Some school districts – such as Teutopolis, Dieterich, Altamont and Beecher City – initially deadlocked or decided not to pass a mandate. The consequences were severe for districts that didn’t go along: potential loss of recognition, inability to compete in state competitions at the junior high or high school level, diplomas being invalid for entry into any college or institution of higher education.
Some hugely important context was left out of that story. Hospitalizations more than doubled from the beginning of August through mid-September, but those superintendents were pushing back against the state mandate throughout. And now they demand to be trusted to handle things on their own?
Nope.
Also, the UK’s summer surge started a couple of months before ours did. They’re now surging again. Hard. 79 percent of UK residents 12 and above have received two doses compared to 66 percent in Illinois. And it’s less than that in Effingham County. People keep spiking the football before they’re even in the red zone.
* Press release sent yesterday from Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge President Chris Southwood…
“The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police remains strongly opposed to any changes to the Health Care Right of Conscience Act that would diminish any individual’s right to their religious liberties.
“In America, one group can’t force another to have certain beliefs or dictate how they should feel. The U.S. Constitution guarantees that the government cannot impose the beliefs of one segment of the population onto another, no matter how well-intentioned the government claims its actions to be.
“We are confident that any attempt to usurp these religious freedom rights will be found unconstitutional by the courts. And we fully intend to make every Illinois legislator’s constituents aware of how they voted on this basic right we all have as Americans.”
I followed up at 7 this morning to ask what specific “religious freedom rights” the ILFOP was talking about. I was promised a response at 8:25 this morning. I have not yet heard back.
The 700+ parents who have brought legal action against their local school districts, as well as the Governor, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education, by and through, Thomas De Vore, Attorney at Law, provide the following statement: […]
Parents will no longer sit idly by while Governor J.B. Pritzker rules by executive fiat, to say nothing of the simple fact that lawful requests for the executive to share the ‘facts and science’ on which his edicts are based go unanswered.
Pretty sure the science has been explained all along. Also, the General Assembly has been free from the beginning to step in whenever a majority of their members decided to do so. The GA has so far decided to mostly stay out of it (although that may change this week). The super-majority of legislators made a conscious decision to stand aside.
Republicans wanted to have a bill heard to limit the governor’s emergency powers to 30 days. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has issued more than 90 such orders over the past 20 months unchecked by the legislature.
In the majority, state Rep. William Davis, D-Hazel Crest, said the governor is doing just fine.
“I would argue the governor is trying to keep us safe and healthy,” Davis said. “The science suggests that that’s what he’s trying to do so I’m okay with executive orders.”
* This appears to be quite common. Vaccinated person earns nice living in part by urging others to resist the vax mandate…
Cumulus Media, owner of news/talk WLS 890-AM and more than 400 other radio stations nationwide, is on a collision course with some of its biggest personalities over the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees.
Dan Bongino, who took over Rush Limbaugh’s coveted midday slot (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays) in May, is threatening to quit — even though he already was vaccinated on the advice of his doctors because he has Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Bongino addressed his “Cumulus struggle” and “protesting their vaccine mandate” during his October 20 show, saying he “wouldn’t be letting it go.” He went on to encourage his audience to join his protest, saying, “I’m one spoke in an enormous wheel of people who are fighting back. Don’t let them break you. Don’t let them break you. They want to break you. There’s a cabal of idiots, little mini-tyrants and totalitarians who need subjugation, and they want you to kneel, get on your knees, sit in the corner, and shut your mouth.”
…Adding… Press release excerpt…
With nearly 6.2 million children nationwide testing positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, Governor JB Pritzker today outlined the coordinated statewide efforts to prepare for the anticipated approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-11. Joined by Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike and other pediatric healthcare professionals, the governor announced the administration is partnering with pediatricians, local health departments, schools, and other organizations ahead of the expected emergency-use authorization from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
Once the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for use in children ages 5-11, more than 2,200 locations and providers statewide, including Chicago, are already enrolled to provide the vaccine. Illinois is expected to receive an initial allotment of approximately 306,000 doses for the state’s youngest residents, with an additional 73,000 doses for the City of Chicago, and well over 100,000 additional doses headed to the federal government’s pharmacy partners in Illinois. Overall, the initial allocation will amount to approximately 500,000 doses available to children in Illinois.
* Other stuff…
* Matt Nagy tests positive for COVID-19: He announced the diagnosis on Zoom call Monday morning. He will not be allowed inside Halas Hall until he can pass two tests within 48 hours. Nagy received the call Monday morning from head trainer Andre Tucker.
With the backing of the legislature’s Democratic majority, Illinois has been at the forefront of expanding abortion access in recent years, even enshrining a “fundamental right” to the procedure in state statute.
Legislative efforts backed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to repeal a quarter-century-old Republican-sponsored law requiring parents to be notified when a minor seeks an abortion, however, have not been an easy sell. Even some Democrats question whether such a move goes too far in pitting abortion rights against parental rights. […]
Another complicating factor is that all 177 seats in the legislature will be up for election next year under new boundaries drawn during the once-a-decade redistricting process. That leaves some incumbents potentially wary of taking on a highly polarizing issue before having to court voters in unfamiliar territory, especially in suburban areas where Democrats have picked up seats from the GOP in recent elections. […]
Several Democratic lawmakers either declined to discuss the issue during the first half of the legislature’s two-week fall session, didn’t return calls seeking comment or said they were undecided on how they’d vote if the matter is taken up.
One undecided legislator was state Rep. Lawrence Walsh Jr., an Elwood Democrat who voted against the 2019 Reproductive Health Act, which codified into state law the “fundamental right” to an abortion. He questioned whether a vote to repeal parental notification was ready for consideration.
State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) argues the effort to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act (PNA) of 1995 is taking away parental rights. […]
Bryant said nothing about repealing the PNA stands to make the situation better for any those involved.
“This will not fix child abuse,” she said. “It will only leave young girls with mental health issues that could last a lifetime if they don’t receive the proper support and care that they need. We must take a stand to protect parental rights and safeguard the system in place already that allows a parent to be there for their child at an unimaginably vulnerable time.”
Bryant is joined by several other Republican lawmakers in speaking out, with Senate Republican deputy leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) arguing that the assertion that this legislation is needed in light of a recently passed Texas law that sets up more legal barricades for a woman seeking an abortion.
“They know that what is happening in Texas has no effect on what’s happening in our state,” she said.
The number of patients from Texas visiting an abortion clinic in Granite City hasn’t changed much, even since the state effectively banned abortions in September.
The reason?
“We’ve always seen those patients,” said Alison Dreith, the clinic’s deputy director.
Illinois has long been a destination for those seeking care, predating Texas’ Senate Bill 8 and its drastic new legal precedent. Even since the Supreme Court found abortion constitutional in 1973, it has been easier to drive hours or fly to Illinois.
As Illinois has increased abortion rights while other states whittled away at them, out-of-state patients have increasingly sought services here. In 2015, they accounted for 8% of all abortions in the state. In 2016, that number increased to 12%, and it has risen every year since.
* Background is here and here if you need it. Rep. Robyn Gabel’s House Amendment 2 to SB1169…
The Health Care Right of Conscience Act is amended by adding Section 13.5 as follows:
Violations related to COVID-19 requirements. It is not a violation of this Act for any person or public official, or for any public or private association, agency, corporation, entity, institution, or employer, to take any measures or impose any requirements, including, but not limited to, any measures or requirements that involve provision of services by a physician or health care personnel, intended to prevent contraction or transmission of COVID-19 or any pathogens that result in COVID-19 or any of its subsequent iterations.
It is not a violation of this Act to enforce such measures or requirements, including by terminating employment or excluding individuals from a school, a place of employment, or public or private premises in response to noncompliance. This Section is a declaration of existing law and shall not be construed as a new enactment. Accordingly, this Section shall apply to all actions commenced or pending on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly. Nothing in this Section is intended to affect any right or remedy under federal law.
…Adding… The Catholic Conference of Illinois issued this today before the amendment surfaced. I’ve asked for further comment…
There is an attempt during this Fall Veto Session in Springfield to amend the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act in order to remove the ability of someone to make a conscience objection to COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Illinois. The bishops of Illinois oppose any amendment to this important Act. A letter from the Illinois bishops has been sent to the Governor and legislative leaders on this; a copy of the letter has also been sent to all members of the Illinois General Assembly.
*** UPDATE *** A spokesperson for the Illinois Hospital Association tells me that his group is supporting the bill and “urging legislators to vote Yes.”
Illinois Democrats have unveiled a revised congressional map that sets up the potential for a second Latino district, two primary matchups featuring Republican incumbents and, surprisingly, a one-on-one primary battle between suburban Democratic incumbents. […]
Reflecting a growing Latino population in the state, the new map would create an opportunity for a second Latino district in Illinois along with the 4th District now held by U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
Garcia’s current district would see much of its Northwest Side Latino population moved into a redrawn open 3rd District seat that stretches into the western suburbs and is designed to capture growth in the Latino community in Cook and DuPage county suburbs.
One prominent resident of the proposed 3rd District is Chicago Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, who chairs the City Council Latino Caucus. On Sunday, Villegas and the 13-member Latino Caucus issued a statement urging Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to sign the revised map. The caucus is also seeking greater representation in the redrawing of aldermanic boundaries.
A new east-west district currently lacking an incumbent connects Latino populations in Logan Square on Chicago’s Northwest Side and West Chicago in the western suburbs. That proposed district is nearly 44% Latino compared to 43% white, according to legislative data showing voting-age constituents. Only the 4th Congressional District now held by U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Chicago, has a higher concentration of Latino voters, standing at 62% on the new map.
“The changes made in this updated congressional map will help ensure the diversity of Illinois is reflected in Washington,” said state Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee. “We appreciate the many advocacy groups and individuals that continue to guide our work with passion and dedication, as we remain focused on the creation of a fair map that will provide equal representation for all.”
Aquino, who lists his residence in the new 3rd Congressional District, said he has not ruled out a potential bid for that seat assuming this latest map isn’t revised a third time before a possible vote. “It’s a serious conversation I’d need to have with my family,” he said.
The draft map, which was released late Saturday afternoon, isn’t final. Sources close to the process say they expect a few more revisions, though the new Latino district will stand. The Democratic-led General Assembly votes on it this week during the scheduled veto session.
NEWMAN/CASTEN — State Democratic legislative mapmakers didn’t care if they sparked an intra-party fight by throwing Newman, a progressive from LaGrange, and Casten, a centrist from Downers Grove, in the same district since it will not impact the Democratic bottom line.
Casten represents the current 6th District. The new 6th, anchored in the western suburbs, takes away Newman’s Southwest Side Chicago and southwest suburban political base.
President Joe Biden won the new 6th by about 12 points, according to an analysis by Scott Kennedy’s Illinois Election Data operation. Casten had $1,049,641 cash-on-hand as of Sept. 30, according to the Federal Election Commission, compared to $437,873 for Newman. […]
UNDERWOOD SAFER: Democrat Rep. Lauren Underwood of Naperville is one of the few Black members of Congress who won in a majority white district. She only won by a point in 2020. This second map is improved for her because it gets rid of Republican McHenry County.
BLACK DISTRICTS: The loss of Black population in Illinois means fewer Black residents in the three districts — all Democratic — created to yield Black lawmakers. Voting-age population is 50.13% in Rep. Bobby Rush’s 1st; 43.75% in Rep. Robin Kelly’s 2nd and only 40.05 % in Rep. Danny Davis’ 7th.
* There might possibly be more than two Democratic primary candidates in that new 6th District…
According to Calabrese, it is “hard to say what” this latest proposed map would mean for former Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL), a conservative Democrat who was ousted by Newman in the 2020 primary. Lipinski is reportedly considering a primary bid to reclaim his seat.
“He could do well in a three-way Democratic primary,” Calabrese said. “Split the liberal vote [between Newman and Casten] and he can win the moderate vote. Still lots of moderate Democrats in the district.”
* Depending on the intensity of the national mood, a Newman primary victory might also draw a serious GOP challenger…
Here is the past electoral performance for the 2nd newly proposed congressional districts released by the ILGA. If you'd like to compare them to the current map you can find that here:https://t.co/D8IGJjgQIhpic.twitter.com/6i74xMolYF
Republican incumbents Darin LaHood and Adam Kinzinger would be shoved into the same congressional district under an updated version of the redistricting map released Saturday.
The map, drawn by Illinois Democrats, is different than the one released Aug. 15. That first draft was skewered by Republicans who called it the “Nancy Pelosi protection plan” and even by some Democrats, who wanted their party to protect their House majority more aggressively. […]
Saturday’s map also makes it likely U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis would no longer represent any portion of Bloomington-Normal in the House. Davis, a Republican from Taylorville, would be placed into the new 15th Congressional District.
It’s unclear if Davis will seek re-election to that seat or possibly run for governor.
Illinois GOP spokesman Joe Hackler on Sunday called the latest maps an “even more aggressive” plan to protect Democrats.
“As we said for the last version of the map, Illinois Democrats, led by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, have made it clear that they are willing to disenfranchise Illinois voters and break repeated campaign promises to do the bidding of (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and (Washington) D.C. power brokers,” Hackler said in an email.
(O)n Saturday, the Democrats brought out a new map, this one placing [US Rep. Mary Miller] in the same district as another Republican: Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro, who has been in Congress since 2015 and in the Legislature for 10 years before that. […]
In Saturday’s proposed remap, Miller goes into a mammoth district that includes almost all of Illinois south of Interstate 70. It appears to include all or parts of 34 of Illinois’ 102 counties, the largest of them in the Metro East area across the river from St. Louis, where Bost is well known and she isn’t.
Miller would lose Danville and Charleston-Mattoon, two of the larger urban areas in her current district.
She’s not a big campaign fundraiser. For the quarter recently ended, she brought in about $250,000, a good haul for her but a modest sum for others. LaHood, for example, raised $490,000 in that period. Davis collected $477,000 and Kinzinger brought in $393,000. Only Bost brought in less, about $177,000.
Unlike most veteran members of Congress, Miller received the majority of her campaign contributions from individuals ($204,458) rather than political action committees ($46,084).
As for local representatives in this current iteration of the maps, Darin LaHood’s 18th District goes away. He is now drawn into a proposed 16th District that treks him northward into the same district with Adam Kinzinger.
Current 13th District Congressman Rodney Davis would take over the entire listening area in the proposed 15th District. The new 15th district stretches from Illinois’ western and eastern borders. Davis’ district would have over 20 counties and stretch from the Metro East in the south to just south of the Quad Cities in the north.
He would be drawn out of the 13th District, which would encompass every major city in Central Illinois from Alton to Champaign. The 13th would be vacant next year and likely go to Democratic Challenger Nikki Budzinski.
* We’ve already been over much of this on the blog, but here’s my weekly syndicated newspaper column…
It has been a foregone conclusion since the official U.S. Census numbers were released in August that the first state legislative redistricting plan passed back in May would be ruled unconstitutional. And the inevitable happened last week when a federal court tossed out the General Assembly’s spring plan.
The official population data showed that the May version of the remap, drawn using the less-accurate American Community Survey data, violated longstanding federal judicial precedent that state legislative maps as a whole can have a “maximum population deviation” between districts of no more than 10 percent to meet the “one person, one vote” constitutional requirement for districts. Illinois’ deviation was about 30 percent in the House and almost 20 percent in the Senate.
Oops.
So, the super-majority Democrats in the General Assembly had to redraw the maps in August because the Census data made it abundantly clear that there was no way the plan which was then on the books would ever withstand judicial scrutiny.
The Democrats decided to move forward in May without Census data because waiting until after June 30 would’ve triggered first a constitutionally mandated bipartisan redistricting commission and then when that commission deadlocked (as it has in most all previous attempts) a lottery would be held to choose a partisan tiebreaker, giving the Republicans a 50-50 chance at taking complete control of the legislative map-making process.
There were some risks to the Democrats’ strategy, though. The greatest risk (although never very likely) was that a federal judge could rule that the unconstitutionality of the initial map plan somehow triggered the bipartisan commission, which could ultimately have a chance of leading to a Republican-drawn map. That didn’t happen. Far from it. The federal judges opined last week that the demand by the Republican plaintiffs to start the bipartisan commission process was “far-fetched” and the proposed remedy was legally “implausible.”
Instead, the federal court decided that the revised remap plan passed in August and signed into law in September would henceforth be used as a “starting point” in the process for approving a new redistricting plan.
The court also “invited” the plaintiffs (Republicans and the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund) to submit their own alternative maps accompanied by statements explaining “the constitutional or statutory defects” in the Democrats’ revised map and an explanation of how their revisions or alternatives “cure” the alleged defects. The Democrats will then be provided an opportunity to respond.
So far, it’s not a horrible outcome for the Democrats, who feel confident that their revised remap plan will withstand judicial scrutiny, and which has so far not been changed one iota. And, despite what you might have read elsewhere, the court did not yet declare that the revised remap plan is in need of being changed. All it said was that the revised remap is basically now up for debate. Since petition circulation doesn’t begin until January, there is quite a bit of time left to wrap this up. And if it can’t be wrapped up quickly, the General Assembly (or perhaps a federal judge) could change the circulation, filing and voting timelines.
This also means, of course, that the Republicans and the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund are still very much in the game. They have an opportunity now to present and prove their cases. And if they fail, a federal lawsuit was filed this month by the NAACP claiming Black voting strength in the East St. Louis-based House district was diluted to help neighboring white legislative Democrats hold onto their seats.
One other item of interest. The court noted last week that the plaintiffs allege the newly revised maps were approved “a single day after publicly releasing any version of its amended map and within hours of releasing the version that it enacted into law.”
The judges then went on to say, “Defendants may well disagree with those characterizations, and we need not (and do not) do more than to note them at this time.”
So, maybe the super-majority could take a hint from that oblique warning and not jam through the congressional remap plan in a day this week.
Instead, what’s happened is painfully predictable. Citizens and voters talking to officials about the maps complain about what they don’t have in common with others in their districts as drawn. Race is a key factor, as is the rural-urban mixtures.
One of the largest issues is more wide-reaching. When voters see that their areas of representation are being divvied up in a partisan debate, they’re bound to lose identity. They can feel disenfranchised. Not in a literal sense – they’re still able to vote. But imagining their vote counts for anything is difficult.
That ultimately winds up with the worst result possible in a dem0cracy – apathy. If we don’t care what happens, we’re leaving open the door for the worst to happen.
